Communication network integrating voice data and video with distributed call processing

A communication system having a plurality of real-time information terminals coupled to associated real-time application devices and interconnected in a network for controlling real-time information calls among real-time information terminals, wherein a call is a telecommunication connection among terminals for exchanging digitized real-time information and call control is fully distributed among the terminals, such that each of the terminals performs all call control functions associated with a coupled real-time application device, so that control of a call among terminals on the network is effected solely by terminals which are party to the call and is not effected by a centralized call control apparatus or a centalized data base, each of said real-time information terminals having associated therewith a local data base containing the local physical address associated with the terminal and a local logical name associated with a coupled real-time application device, said system comprising:

• storage means at each of the terminals for storing the local data base,
• formatting means at each of the terminals coupled to said storage means and receiving data from the local data base for forming formatted control messages for controlling of calls,
• each formatted control message including a source address field containing the physical address of the terminal transmitting the message and a destination address field containing the physical address of a specific terminal to which the message is directed or a broadcast address if the message is directed to a plurality of terminals and information fields which contain a logical means and/or control information,
• transmitting means at each of the terminals coupled to said formatting means for transmitting messages to other terminals on the network,
• receiving means at each of the terminals for receiving from the network all messages addressed to the terminal including broadcast messages,
• broadcast means at each of the terminals coupled to said transmitting means and to said formatting means for broadcasting to a plurality of terminals on the network a control message containing a non-local logical name,
• recognition means at each of the terminals coupled to said storage means and to said receiving means thereat and operative if a broadcast control message includes a logical name in its information field matching a logical name in the local data base stored in said storage means for accepting of the message,
• D-channel means at each of the terminals coupled to said recognition means and to said receiving means for extracting the source address field of an accepted or received control message and for saving the address for use in the destination field of a non-broadcast control message to the terminals which sent the accepted or received control message,
• call controlling means at each of the terminals coupled to said broadcast means and operative if a coupled device wants to establish a connection to a logical name associated with a device at another terminal for transmitting digitized real-time information,
• said call controlling means being coupled to said D-channel means and to said transmitting means for transmitting a non-broadcast control message and being operative during the control of a call,
• said call controlling means being coupled to said receiving means and to said recognition means and being responsive to accepted and other received control messages and to a condition of a coupled real-time application device for controlling establishment and switching and termination of calls to which the terminal is a party without use of a centralized call control apparatus or a centralized data base, and
• B-channel means at each of the terminals coupled to said call controlling means and to said D-channel means and to said transmitting means and to the coupled device for transmitting digitized real-time information messages from the coupled device to another terminal which is party to the call and operative until said call controlling means terminates the call.

In a communication system having a plurality of real-time information terminals interconnected in a packet switched local area network with the terminals respectively coupled to associated real-time application devices for transmission of digital real-time information signals along the network in the form of packets of bits, wherein each packet includes a source address field containing a physical address of the terminal transmitting the packet and a destination address field containing a physical address of a specific terminal to which the packet is directed or a broadcast address if the packet is directed to plural terminals and an information field which contains a logical name of a terminal if the packet is a control packet or contains digitized real-time information if the packet is a real-time information packet, an improvement for providing conference communication among more than two real-time information terminals on the network, said improvement comprising:

• means for establishing a conference communication link among terminals which are to be parties to a conference,
• transmitter means at each terminal for transmitting packets to other terminals on the network,
• receiver means at each terminal for receiving packets from other terminals on the network,
• packetizing means at each terminal operable if the terminal is party to a conference for forming a conference packet having an information field which includes a plurality of sequential sectors respectively containing real-time information from the terminal forming the conference packet and from one or more other terminals which are party to the conference, and
• processing means at each terminal coupled to said receiver means of the terminal for accepting conference packets addressed to the terminal and received from another party terminal,
• each of said packetizing means including means coupled to said receiver means and said transmitter means of its associated terminal for forming a new conference packet from a received conference packet by adding to the received conference packet a destination address of a new destination party terminal to which the new conference packet is to be sent and deleting from the received conference packet the sector containing real-time information from the new destination party terminal and adding to the received conference packet a sector containing real-time information from the terminal forming the new conference packet,
• said packetizing means transferring the new conference packet to said transmitter means of the associated terminal for transmitting the new conference packet to the new destination party terminal.

For a communication system having a plurality of terminals not exceeding a maximum number of terminals including real-time information terminals interconnected in a token passing network for transmission of digital data including digitized real-time information signals along the network in the form of packets of bits with each packet including a number of bits, wherein each terminal gains access to the network by seizing a free token, a method of providing a real-time communication among terminals on the network, comprising:

• digitizing real-time information signals into bits at each real-time information terminal,
• regenerating real-time information signals from received packets at each terminal,
• collecting at each real-time information terminal a group of digitized real-time information bits and storing a first bit of the collected group of digitized real-time information bits for a predetermined storage time period which is equal to or greater than a minimum value,
• assembling at each real-time information terminal each collected group of stored digitized real-time information bits generated thereat along with control bits into a real-time information packet having a predetermined first maximum length such that the terminal assembling the packet can seize a free token in a time period less than the minimum value of the predetermined storage time period,
• transmitting packets from each real-time information terminal to other terminals along the network, and
• receiving at each real-time information terminal packets from other terminals along the network.

For a communication system having a plurality of real-time information terminals coupled to associated real-time application devices and interconnected in a network for controlling real-time information calls among real-time information terminals, wherein a call is a telecommunication connection among terminals for exchanging digitized real-time information and call control is fully distributed among the terminals, such that each of the terminals performs all control functions associated with a coupled real-time application device, so that control of a call among terminals on the network is effected solely by terminals which are a party to the call and is not effected by a centralized call control apparatus or a centalized data base, each of the real-time information terminals having associated therewith a local data base containing the physical address associated with the terminal and a local logical name associated with a coupled real-time application device, a method of distributing call control among the terminals comprising:

• storing at each of the terminals the local data base,
• receiving at each of the terminals data from the local data base for forming formatted control message for controlling of calls,
• each formatted control message including a source address field containing the physical address of the terminal transmitting the message and a destination address field containing the physical address of a specific terminal to which the message is directed or a broadcast address if the message is directed to a plurality of terminals and information fields which contain a logical name and/or control information,
• broadcasting from each of the terminals to a plurality of other terminals on the network, a control message containing a non-local logical name,
• transmitting messages from each of the terminals to other terminals and receiving at each of the terminals all messages from the network addressed to the terminal including broadcast messages,
• accepting at each of the terminals a broadcast control message which includes a logical name in its information field matching a logical name in the local data base,
• extracting at each of the terminals the source address field of an accepted or received control message and saving the address for use in the destination field of a non-broadcast control message to the terminal which sent the accepted or received control message,
• controlling at each of the terminals establishment and switching and termination of calls to which the terminal is a party solely in response to accepted and other received control messages and to a condition of a coupled real-time application device, and
• transmitting at each of the terminals digitized real-time information messages from the coupled device to another terminal which is party to the call until the call is terminated.

For a communication system having a plurality of real-time information terminals interconnected in a packet switched local area network with the terminals respectively coupled to associated real-time application devices for transmission of digital real-time information signals along the network in the form of packets of bits, wherein each packet includes a source address field containing a physical address of the terminal transmitting the packet and a destination address field containing a physical address of a specific terminal to which the packet is directed or a broadcast address if the packet is directed to a plurality of terminals and an information field which contains a logical name of a terminal if the packet is a control packet or contains digitized real-time information if the packet is a real-time information packet, a method of providing conference communication among more than two real-time information terminals on the network comprising:

• establishing a conference communication link among terminals which are to be parties to a conference;
• transmitting packets from each terminal to other terminals on the network;
• receiving packets at each terminal from other terminals on the network;
• forming, at a terminal which is party to a conference, a conference packet having an information field which includes a plurality of sequential sectors respectively containing real-time information from the terminal forming the conference packet and from one or more other terminals which are party to the conference;
• accepting at each party terminal conference packets addressed to the party terminal and received from another party terminal;
• forming at each party terminal a new conference packet from a received conference packet by adding to the received conference packet a destination address of a new destination party terminal to which the new conference packet is to be sent and deleting from the received conference packet the sector containing real-time information from the new destination party terminal and adding to the received conference packet a sector containing real-time information from the terminal forming the new conference packet;
• and
• transmitting the new conference packet to the new destination party terminal.